Vending
Linn County, Iowa home to multiple Narcan vending machines
July 11, 2024
Linn County, Iowa is home to multiple vending machines offering free Narcan, an opioid overdose reversal medication, according to a KWWL report.
Opioid related deaths reached an all-time high in Linn County in 2020: the mortality rate was 26.1 deaths per 100,000 people. As a result, over the past few years, the Substance Misuse Committee of Linn county has worked with community partners to increase access to naloxone and other harm reduction resources.
Located in public libraries, community centers and even a grocery store in Linn County, the vending machine's have been strategically placed for discretion and accessibility.
"We know stigma is still really closely tied to substance use disorder and we wanted to make sure it's in a spot in which people can confidently get it and have access to it at any point," Erin Foster, director of Linn County Mental Health Access Center, told the news outlet. "We don't want the fact of someone having to ask for it or get information, to be a barrier for individuals to get this life saving device."
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